[Watch] Shocked Waqar Younis tries hard to hide his emotions as Pakistan succumb to defeat against Afghanistan in 2023 World Cup
A shocked Waqar Younis tried hard to control his emotions as Pakistan went down to Afghanistan by eight wickets in match number 22 of the 2023 ODI World Cup at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Monday.
Younis, a legend of Pakistan cricket, was in the commentary box with Pommie Mbangwa and Matthew Hayden when Afghanistan skipper Hashmatullah Shahidi hit the winning runs to create history.
While Mbangwa described the emotions as Afghanistan celebrated after beating Pakistan for the first time in ODIs, Younis was silent and just nodded while reacting to Mbangwa, clearly finding it tough to process what had just transpired. Hayden, who has been associated with the Pakistan team in the recent past as a mentor, also wore a rather stunned look.
Pakistan came up with an underwhelming performance in Chennai to go down to Afghanistan by eight wickets. Batting first, they put up 282/7 on the board. Pakistan skipper Babar Azam top-scored with 74, but the knock came off 92 deliveries and featured only four fours and a six. Iftikhar Ahmed’s 27-ball 40 gave the innings impetus at the death.
Afghanistan were brilliant in the chase, crossing the target in 49 overs. Opener Ibrahim Zadran, who was the Player of the Match for his 87 off 113 balls, added 130 for the first wicket with Rahmanullah Gurbaz (65 off 53).
The experienced Rahmat Shah (77* off 84) then featured in an unbroken 96-run stand for the third wicket with skipper Shahidi (48* off 45) as Afghanistan created history.
Younis lashed out at Pakistan after defeat to Afghanistan
Reacting to Pakistan’s shock defeat, Younis hit out at Babar and company and opined that there was no method in the team’s play. He also questioned the attitude of the players.
The former captain told Star Sports after the match:
"That's not the Pakistan team. I know, you know. The attitude was totally missing, zero out there. There was no method. You know, we're not going to field and we're sitting on the heels. We can sit down here all night and criticize because they have provided us so much to talk about."
Conceding that he was hurt by Pakistan’s poor performance, Younis credited Afghanistan for the victory.
"It is very hurting. But I'm very happy for Afghanistan. They deserve it,” he stated.
Pakistan’s loss to Afghanistan on Monday was their third consecutive defeat in the 2023 World Cup. They had previously gone down to India and Australia.